Guest Post
The 1960s were a bad time for our military. We were deep in the Vietnam war, the hatred for the war was high, the protesters were everywhere, and then there were the ones who ran to Canada. This was the backdrop when 58 young men from North Dakota joined the US Marine Corps as the NODAK PLATOON in 1960. I wanted to bring the face back to the Marines! I wanted to show they were just normal kids who believed in their country. To show that they had family and loved ones and what drove them to join the best fighting force in the world, the US Marines!
So, I chose to use letters I wrote to my mom as the subject. This book is also used to show the Mothers; the fear they felt, the turmoil they went through! I dedicated this book to all the moms who got a flag back, instead of their son or daughter!
2011 gave me a wake-up call! A flood hit Minot, North Dakota. It wiped out the family home which I had bought. Swept it right downriver! I went into the vacant lot when it dried out and low and behold, fourteen feet up in a tree was an old trunk. In that trunk were the letters from the 1960s, Marine Corps Bootcamp! I immediately made plans to write a book but gave up.
The V.A. shrink who was treating me for PTSD told me to get back to writing. I tried, but again just couldn't get over the hump!
A buddy who was in the Marines with me was dying. He called and wanted to talk to me before he died. I immediately went to his side and we talked until he took his last breath. We spent three days going over our life in the Marines! The highs and lows. He recounted how another buddy that was in a Helicopter crash with me, had contacted him when he was dying. I found out then that the second buddy had also been in treatment with the VA shrinks. I didn't realize what we had been through, had affected all our lives!! I thought I was just an alcoholic. I thought all three of us were ok, just wild and untamed! So, the very last thing he said was "Dallman, finish that damn book, because I'm in it" He made a very life-changing statement, he said, "I won't be able to read it, I will be dead, but I want you to tell our children and Grand kids!" I went back home and made myself a promise. I convinced myself I needed to change! I threw away the Cognac bottle, changed my diet, prayed to God for help, and re-read the faded letters from the 1960's! Everything suddenly fit as I recounted the stories he and I told each other. It took two buddies dying to make me get the courage get back to writing this book!
Then my wife, who is a professional photographer and singer was recording a song in Las Vegas. I went along and the people she was using for the recording asked me what I wanted out of life. I told them I had lived a long time and accomplished a lot, but never could finish writing a book! Well, they immediately hooked me up with Traci Wooden, a great publisher and with her guidance, my wife's prodding, I got the ol' computer out and it started flowing out!
Through a series of unapologetically honest and unintentionally humorous letters to his mother, the author shares his unvarnished experiences as a naive 18-year-old navigating the tribulations of boot camp. With the specter of his seemingly menacing drill instructors looming large, this young man's quest for a life beyond his hometown quickly becomes a rollercoaster of exhilaration, fear, and personal growth.
Witness the author's transformation from a small-town boy to a dedicated warrior as he overcomes adversity and learns invaluable lessons about courage, resilience, and the true meaning of strength. From his first day at the MCRD to his thrilling new beginning in Hawaii, this unforgettable memoir stands as a testament to the power of determination and the indomitable spirit of youth.
Excerpt
I sat up in bed and observed a Marine with two stripes coming toward me. He was shaking and yelling at each bunk as he went by. He did an about-face when he reached the end of the aisle and yelled that he was Corporal Johnston, corporal of the guard.
He said Staff Sergeant Smith was busy so he was taking us to chow. He said we had fifteen minutes to shit, shower, shave and dress after which he wanted us all standing on the painted stripes outside. He said anyone late would die. He said the one they’d taken out last night was already dead.
I wanted to say, “You can't kill a man for pissing his bed,” but my mouth wouldn't open. I decided I didn’t need a shower, I was too scared to shit, and I was still too young to shave so I just dressed, used the urinal, and stood around talking to my friends.
Todd asked me if I had seen Adam. I said no, but I figured he was gone for good.
Thomas delivered the next question with as serious a face as I’d ever seen on him. “They really can't kill him for pissing his bed, can they”?
I said no but I thought they might put him in jail. I had read stories about military brigs, and I figured Adam was already in a striped suit, breaking rocks as we spoke.
After Dale and a few of his friends got themselves into trouble towards the end of their senior year, a nice judge “suggested” that he and several of his acquaintances join the United States Marine Corps. The formation of the “NODAK PLATOON” made the timeline fit. The Marines took him to San Diego, California, Hawaii, Asia, and back to San Francisco, California. He grew up fast in the Marines. One of his buddies stuck with him after they were discharged and the two followed each other off and on through life.
His first real job after the service was in Billings, Montana with Brown & Williamson Tobacco Co. as a road salesman. This led to other road salesman positions with the American Greetings Company and the Bristol Myers Drug Company. He ventured into real estate, casinos, auto sales, RV sales, which took him to Wyoming, North Dakota, and South Dakota. He became a deputy sheriff in California for a while, then traveled on to Washington, Arizona, Virginia, Germany, and Colorado, to name a few.
Today, Mr. Dallman lives in the South with his wife Cassandra Dallman, a professional photographer and singer out of Atlanta, Georgia. He enjoys and continues to take great pride in his children and their offspring.
This book is neither his first nor last written work so please check back to see upcoming books from Dale E. Dallman.
He can be found at
Giveaway
Dale E. Dallman will award a $25 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner.
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